Macgregor 26m first impressions

[slothbag]

I just recently purchased a secondhand 26m 2008 model, it is in very good condition and appears to be well looked after.

I took it out for its first outing and noticed two things which concern me.

1. The boat had a constant heel to starboard, even with all the gear on the port side and moving the 4 crew to the port side seems to just make it level, then when we even out the weight then the boat heels back to starboard again. This heeling was a constant annoyance for me and was noticable by feel, by eye and by photo. There was no significant weight on the starboard side, the ballast tank was full, the water bladders are stored centrally..

I'm at a loss as to what is causing the heeling!

2. The boat has a 60hp outboard, when motoring at speed.. say 8-12 knots the boat would get "stuck" going straight until something gives way and then it would oversteer to starboard. So for example, we'd be motoring along and i'd try to give a very minor course adjustment to starboard and I could turn the wheel nearly a full 180 degrees to starboard and the boat would continue going straight. Then you could feel something give way (not mechanical) and the boat would lurch over and pull a hard turn much more than intended. This was impossible to prevent, it did it everytime, no matter how fast or slow I turned the wheel, at some point it would lurch over. It was so bad the "admiral" was not able to steer the boat confidently.

I found this issue to be very disturbing and actually a potential danger.. anyone come across something like this before?

[Tempus]

Very curious. First up, describe your boat's configuration at the time: centre board up/down, rudders up/down, motor up/down and steering isolated?

Very early in the piece, I'd sometimes forget to isolate the motor from the steering mechanism when the motor was tilted up. This seriously messes you around as you're attempting to fight a lot of motor mass. That doesn't necessarily explain what you are experiencing though.

Does your Mac have the lean even when not underway?

[Berber Boy]

A couple of ideas. I had some steering to starboard with my 2008 until I found that the Engine was out of alignment with the rudders. Were the rudders down when this happened? I presume not at 12 mph.
2nd if your rudders were down were they locked down tight? If one gets loose it can swing partly up and that really has an impact on your steering.

I am sure someone on this site can help you diagnose the problem Good Luck
David

[slothbag]

Very curious. First up, describe your boat's configuration at the time: centre board up/down, rudders up/down, motor up/down and steering isolated?

As I was motoring at 12 knots, the centre board was up, rudders up and therefore outboard connected to steering.

I presumed rudders should be up at speed.

Does your Mac have the lean even when not underway?

Yes, we pulled up a mooring and stayed out overnight, obviously the dinette is on the starboard side so when people are sitting there you would expect a lean to starboard.. but I felt I really struggled just to get the boat even most the time, and as soon as I stopped trying, we were back over on the right again.

[paulkayak]

I do not have a but I would check out the ballast tank. If the previous owner had left it in shallow water with the valve open for any length of time could mud have gotten into the tank. Try parking on a hill and spray some water inside the tank toward the starboard side of the tank if possible. Or Fill 1/3 the tank with water and rock the boat back and fourth for a while. Than pull the boat out of the water and drain the tank paying attention to how clear the water is. Keep rinsing until the water comes out clear. I do not profess to be a m expert but this seems to be a plausible cause and a cheep fix.

[dlandersson]

Rudders and centerboard up anytime you go over 8 knots.

[Johnacuda]

I have an , but you may want the check your bilges as well. Before I was able to sort out a few topside leaks, I was ending up with a lot of rainwater in the bilges. much more in the starboard than in the port.

If the boat was in the water when you purchased it, I would find a way to look underneath to see if you are dragging something. An unknown wing keel mod, or something attached to the bottom could cause unpredictable handling.

When you are moored, pull the rudders up and put the motor down. Watch the linkage while someone turns the wheel from stop-to-stop to see if anything is binding.

[Doug W]

building on Johnacuda's post. We have a 2010 M. We use our aft berth for storage, I've had items shoved too far back interfere with steering

[Ixneigh]

Hmmm. If I were to remove every mod I've done to my boat she would lean slighty because of 100 pounds of lead I placed in the bilge to balence everything. I have a storage unit on one side with a shelf on top. It's not light when utilized to capacity with useless junk so I added some counterweight. Are you sure the po didn't do something similar? Maybe they had something heavy on one side and tried to counterbalance. If they took thier heavy item out of the boat before selling it that could result in a mystery lean.
Ix

[pmmcderm]

I think both symptoms (heel, delay in turning) might be caused by the same problem: whatever is causing your heel. If the boat is heeled under power going straight, it will screw with the hydrodynamics and make turning weird. If boat turns differently port vs starboard, then it probably is one problem. That being said, I think previous posts covered likely causes: something in the bilge, or something in the ballast tank. Pull all the access covers and make sure you know what is in every space.

As for jamming the rudder, I can speak from experience. I keep the cushion for the dinette table berth aft, and one time I accidentally bumped it back against the linkage. Discovered the problem as I was pulling away from the pier. Tense moment, but no damage, so a good lesson. Same as with checking the gas tank EVERY TIME just before entering the marina entrance.

[slothbag]

Thanks for the excellent replies, great suggestion re the ballast tank and silt or added weight.. i'll look into it.

As for jamming the rudder, I can speak from experience. I keep the cushion for the dinette table berth aft, and one time I accidentally bumped it back against the linkage. Discovered the problem as I was pulling away from the pier. Tense moment, but no damage, so a good lesson. Same as with checking the gas tank EVERY TIME just before entering the marina entrance.

I must admit, when I first saw the steering arm exposed in the aft bunk I thought that was a really silly thing to do.. so easy to cram gear back there and block the steering.. I'm pretty sure that was not the issue, but I shall keep an eye on it.

[dxg4848]

I have an for 5 seasons now. My boat does not heel (unless you sailing ) with ballast empty or full. Like others suggested you have a problem with your boat. Personally I wouldn't sail it until the problem is fixed.

You said it heels with ballast full. Try it with empty ballast in calm waters. If it still heels the same way then it is probably not your ballast tank. Then look if bilge is not flooded. Look on both sides and under the berth. If your bilge is dry then it has to be some added weight somewhere. But bottom line is that boat shouldn't heel.

[Whipsyjac]

Respecting your privacy if you choose not to disclose your country state or province, you could check the locations of other posters and of someone is near you send them a private message. An experienced Mac owner could probably ànd happily help you sort your problem out in a Jiffy.

If you do as your location you will receive quick and specific help from members close by. If you're in the Pacific North West the Macgregor yacht club of BC has members from Oregon to a Alaska and tons of help available.

If you're on the East Coast there are many members plus Bill at Boats for sale or even the Sharp's who make the new tattoo brand in Florida.

Something is definitely off but there's help available everywhere.

Willy

[seahouse]

Thanks for the excellent replies, great suggestion re the ballast tank and silt or added weight.. i'll look into it.

As for jamming the rudder, I can speak from experience. I keep the cushion for the dinette table berth aft, and one time I accidentally bumped it back against the linkage. Discovered the problem as I was pulling away from the pier. Tense moment, but no damage, so a good lesson. Same as with checking the gas tank EVERY TIME just before entering the marina entrance.

I must admit, when I first saw the steering arm exposed in the aft bunk I thought that was a really silly thing to do.. so easy to cram gear back there and block the steering.. I'm pretty sure that was not the issue, but I shall keep an eye on it.

There is a carpeted panel that fits back there to protect the steering mechanism and totally enclose the area - maybe yours is lost or it wasn't present on the earlier M's?

- Brian.

[mastreb]

The heeling problem is something the previous owner did: A water or fuel tank perhaps? Extra ballast or permanent ballast placed in the water ballast tank? You'll have to inspect the entire boat.

You should know that the stock boat came with no internal tanks of any kind and extremely limited electronics--Just legally required lighting with a single panel and a single battery wired to the motor. Anything else you find was put on by the previous owner, which means that we on the forum won't know what's been done.

The steering problem could be a lot of things, but here's a simple test: The motor is designed to be isolated from the rudders when steering by disconnecting the steering linkage and connecting it to the small bolt protruding up in steering well. This will line up the motor directly aft, and only the rudders will steer.

If steering seems pretty normal and easy this way, the problem is something to do with the linkage to the motor internally or a change the previous owner made. If steering still seems "broken" then you may have an issue with the steering cable binding or the steering rack being broken inside the helm. It's also possible that the rudders are misaligned or the steering bar inside is bent or something along those lines.

The steering system is actually fairly simple and most owners are able to sort it out pretty quickly. If you can't isolate the problem with my tips above, find an owner in your area and have them take a look--they can probably tell you right off the bat what's wrong, and the good news is its all pretty cheap to fix.